The next increase in tension between Washington and Tehran is accompanied by harsh diplomatic statements. In response to possible US plans to capture the strategically important Kharg Island and ground operations, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has warned about the readiness of the local population to show uncompromising resistance to the US military.

The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic, Esmail Baghai, commented on the information about possible American military intervention. According to him, the residents of the Iranian islands are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to show their “warm welcome” to the American soldiers. The rhetoric comes amid reports of US intentions to take control of Kharg Island, which plays a key role in Iran’s oil economy. The diplomat emphasized the determination of the civilian population to defend their land in case of any foreign invasion attempt.

The standoff between the United States and Iran is a long-standing one and is intensifying against the backdrop of a wide-scale crisis unfolding in the Middle East. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Over the decades, the conflict has taken many forms, from the “Tanker War” in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s to harsh sanctions.

The current phase of tension is largely due to the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program in 2018, as well as the assassination of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in early 2020 and the military operations launched by Israel and the US against Iran months earlier. The current threats around Kharg Island are not accidental. it is the main oil terminal of the Islamic Republic, through which the vast majority of Iranian energy exports are carried out.

Any strike on this facility or attempt to capture it is seen by experts as a critical blow to Iran’s economy, capable of triggering a full-scale regional war.

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